Tag: Entertainment

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Entertainment Fashion Music

Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes” are not, in fact, satanic, and here is why.

The newly released song Montero (call me by your name) by Lil Nas X  sparked both outrage and admiration with its bold approach to the biblical episode of Adam and Eve. Some people considered his video to be satanic but this is not the only aspect of his newest ventures that have gotten him accusations of Satanism. With the new release of his « Satan shoes » which sold out in less than a minute, he has gotten backlashes for the design which contains an upside-down cross, a pentagram, three six, a bible verse, and, supposedly, human blood. But despite what is shown in modern media and horror films, none of the previously mentioned characteristics are satanic symbols.

Despite the notoriety this symbol got through its use in Horror movies and games, the upside-down cross is not a symbol of Satanism. This symbol’s origin lies in Christianity, specifically the death of saint peter. The disciple of Jesus refused to be sentenced to the same death as Jesus and so requested to be crucified upside down. Since then, the Catholic church started using this cross in his honor hence why it is called the cross of Saint Peter.

Lutheran Church of Veitsiluoto, Kemi, Finland.

As for the pentagram, this symbols’ origin can be found in ancient Greece and Babylonia. One of its use was to represent the human anatomy, showing the four limbs and the head, which is a motif that will be picked up again in the renaissance era with scientists such as Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. This same scientist and occultist also popularized its use as a symbol of the five elements, fire, water, earth, and air.

Pentagram and human body.

This symbol is also associated with modern occultism where it’s the symbol of Wicca and was adopted by the satanic temple in 1966 to symbolize the triumph of earthly principle and carnal desires. This symbol was also used in many religions such as Judaism where it represented wisdom, justice, and mercy, in the Druze religion and Christianity where it once symbolized the five wounds of Jesus. The pentagram can also be found in countries’ flags such as Morocco. As such, the pentagram in and itself is not a satanic symbol but a symbol with varied uses.

Flag of Morocco.svg
Flag of Morocco.

Now for the bible verse put on the shoes and their box, here is what it says: « He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ». This biblical verse shows the fall of satan from his usurped place in heaven, the mind of man, or could be a reference to the story of satans’ creation but it is always a symbol of satans defeat. It is something for believers to rejoice in and is by no means or definition satanic, glorifying the devil or a bad omen.

Satan Shoes in their box

As for the three 6, in the bible, this number called the number of the beast or the number of men symbolizes the system of man that is under the influence of satan being mainly false religions, the deceived false governments, and mankind’s economic system which is self-centered. As such, this number does not symbolize the devil himself but the incomplete aspect of humanity mainly being, the governmental organization present throughout the globe and money. This number also contains positive connotations in places like China. It is only in modern culture where it started gaining notoriety for being a symbol of satan.

On his shoes, Lil Nas X incorporated symbols that can be easily attributed as satanic because of the way mainstream media paint them even though their use is complex and not necessarily related to satanism and are sometimes the complete opposite of that such as the bible verse mentioned.

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Entertainment Music

A testament to embracing one’s self, Montero (call me by your name) by Lil Nas X is finally out.

From Old Town Road to Holidays, Lil Nas x has been releasing a steady stream of hit songs, and now, his highly anticipated single MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name), followed by the release of his “Satan shoes”, is finally out for the word to see.

For a few months now, Lil Nas X has been teasing his fan base by showing little snippets of his song on his TikTok videos. It clearly had the desired effect as people have been dying to hear the song in its integrity.

@lilnasx

i was so young 😢

♬ CALL ME BY YOUR NAME BY LIL NAS X – not lil nas x

Now that their wish is coming true, Lil Nas X did not disappoint. Throughout the song, he sings of authenticity, of a place where societal pressure can’t reach him, as he says at the beginning of the song: « In life, we hide the parts of ourselves we don’t want the world to see, We lock them away. We tell them, ‘No.’ We banish them. But here, we don’t.”

This place being well, Hell. Throughout this whole music video from kissing a snake and falling to hell on a pole, to giving the devil a lap dance, not only does Lil Nas X offer his fans a well-crafted and aesthetically pleasing narrative, but it is also his way of embracing his sexuality. According to one of his Instagram posts, this whole song and video, is a message to his younger self, the one who was afraid of ever coming out, Of being « That type of gay » and about loving . After all, considering that the song’s title is his real name, it should come as no surprise that he has an intimate connection to it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CM3i2RelCkK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This song is now #2 on trending on YouTube and was more than well received by his fans and fellow musicians who have been very vocal about their opinions and love for the song on Twitter. Many of them consider Lil Nas X  as someone Queer black kids could look up to and be encouraged to embrace themselves.

https://twitter.com/osnit_/status/1375298572371914752

In this new single, Lil Nas X gives us another iconic performance, paving the road to so many others, all wrapped up in a devilishly ethereal narrative and colorful aesthetic, enough to charm Eden’s snake himself.

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Art Entertainment Music

“People disappear here”: Halsey’s Artworks on sale for the first time in her career.

For fans of the artist, it’s no secret that music is not the only creative outlet through which Halsey enjoys expressing herself. Her passion for painting has shown itself in her music career on multiple occasions such as The “Graveyard (time laps)” music video or her performance of « Eastside » on Saturday night live. In her newest art venture, however, fans and admirers of her art now have the chance to acquire one of her pieces for themselves. On the 12 of march, the artist announced that she will be putting some of her artworks on sale for the first time through the Nifty gateway, with a portion of the sale going to My Friend’s Place (MFPLA), an organization for homeless youth and Carbon 180, which works to fight global warming.

https://twitter.com/halsey/status/1370822746154885121

The artworks in question called « People disappear here » , consists of one principal hand-painted piece with an animated version of it as well as multiple animations of the painting’s characters. According to Halsey, these creations were inspired by the multiple episodes of sleep paralysis and their demons which she has been experiencing a lot since the beginning of the quarantine. She says that « After seven years of bed surfing hotel rooms around the world, adjusting to my own pitch-black cave in California had a little bit of a learning curve. »

This state of mind becomes more than apparent with the disproportionately grotesque and almost human creatures dispersed through the impressive art piece and animations put up for auction on the 17th of march.  The vivid colors and almost clay-like texture of the animated monsters along with the eerie music in the background of each bring to life all of the artist’s strange nightly companions whether that would be a «toddler TV programming evil dentists » or a child born with huge claws.  Fan’s of horror video games might find this style a bit familiar.

Overall, the collection was well received and 5 days after the release of the art pieces, the main art work and most animations were sold out during the silent auction and their owners are not accepting offers. However, a lot of character animations are still available for sale on Nifty from the previous buyers, so there still is hope for fans who still wish to acquire a piece of Halsey’s collections. The price range goes from 2, 388 $ to 10,710 $.

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Entertainment Movies

What we know of Emma Watson’s alleged retirement from the movie industry.

Lately, the famous Harry Potter actress has been trending on Twitter and the news of her alleged retirement has reached far and wide from TikTok to Instagram, putting her fans in a frenzy. It has also been the topic of discussion of many news outlets. But things are a little blurry these days and people don’t know what to believe. Here is what we know as of now about the 30 years old artists’ activities or lack thereof.

For a few years now, The actress has been quiet on social media, choosing instead to take some distance from them. This didn’t stop her from continuing to participate in series of blockbusters fit of the woman who made our childhood with movies such as Bling Bling, The perk of being a wallflower, Beauty and the Beast, and lately, Little Women in which Timothée Chalamet co-starred.

The news of her retirement initially saw the light of the day in a daily mail article where they reportedly said that her acting was “dormant”. This was understood by many as the actresses leaving her acting career behind.

This, however, was quickly challenged and questioned by many and rightfully so. According to what Emma Watson’s agent, Jason Weinberg, told Entertainment Weekly “Emma’s social media are dormant but her career isn’t.” The British actress is only taking a well-deserved break to supposedly spend some time with her boyfriend Leo Robinson who she’s been dating for a little more than a year.

In conclusion, as of now what we know is that the actress is taking some time off from the industry she was a part of since childhood. This, however, doesn’t necessarily signify any permanent withdrawal from the world of acting itself.

Categories
Art Entertainment Music

Angèle : the latest addition to tiktok.

Its steady rise in popularity has pushed TikTok to become one of the most thought platforms for young teens and curious adults alike. So it was to be expected that people of influence and importance, from presidents to actors, will see this application as an opportunity to reach a younger audience. As such, lately, we can observe that more and more artists are giving the app a chance such as Billie Eilish and Jojo Siwa. This phenomenon, however, doesn’t limit itself to English artists only. In fact, into the french singer Louane’s addition, TikTok now has recently welcomed the Belgium singer Angèle, with the username  angele_vl, to its ranks.

The famous international singer has first joined tik to today the 29th of January with a cover of Alicia Key fallin’, with her playing the piano and guitar in duo format. This is not surprising considering her affiliation to English music and her recent collaboration with dua lipa on fever.

@angele_vl

#Duo avec @angele_vl

♬ son original – 💿 Angèle 💿

Even though the 25 years old singer joke about not understanding the app and claiming that it made her feel old, as seen in her bio,  she has, as of now, released five videos today ranging from jokes about her beloved dog to music-related videos.

@angele_vl

Je m’arrête plus

♬ son original – 💿 Angèle 💿

As of now, the Belgian singer-songwriter started her TikTok journey with 4614 Followers and 8926 Likes, numbers that are steadily rising, the more her fans are starting to realizing her addition on the platform.

Categories
Art Movies Music

Elias Rahbani passes away at 83 after leaving his mark on the music industry.

Today, Elias Rahbani, the last of the living Rahbani brothers, lost his life, the 4th of January 2021 at the age of 83, the cause of death yet unknown. This is a sad day for the Lebanese music industry as he was one of the biggest composers, arrangers, lyric writers, conductor & producers, in the Lebanese/Arabic music scene.

He was the mind behind a multitude of famous songs written in both English, French, and Arabic which were sang by a multitude of notable Lebanese singers such as Fairuz, Sabah and Wadih El Safi . One of such songs is “Kan El Zaman” by Fairuz.

He is also the composer of important music pieces such as “moonlight melody” made for the tv Serie ” Azef al layl”.

He was also behind some popular nursery  rhymes that accompanied a lot of Lebanese people during their childhood such as  “Kellon Indoun Sayarat”, “Toll’ Eddaou al Wawi”, “Ammy Bou Massoud”.

The one to who the Elias Rahbani academy is dedicated, he forever left his mark in the hearts of Lebanese people as well as in the country’s folklore and culture.

Elias Rahbani and His Orchestra on Apple Music

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Art Entertainment Literature Music

The French parts of “Achilles, come down”: Translations and literary analysis

Throughout the Greek mythology inspired song, “Achilles, come down”, can be heard a man saying some French phrases during the musical interludes that connects the multiple verses of the 7 minute song. Some people would attribute its presence solely for aesthetic purposes, some think there is more to it, but regardless, most fan are curious about the meanings of these words. Like many other songs such As Swan Upon Leda by Hozier, It uses many artistic and literary symbolism to get it message across and so, to find answers to our questions, some research into the world of French literature was necessary.

To start with, here is what the first series of French phrases means:

“Je vois que beaucoup de gens meurent parcequ’ils estiment que la vie ne vaut pas la peine d’être vécue et j’en vois d’autres qui se font paradoxalement tuer, pour les idées, les illusions qui leurs donnent une raison de vivre. Ce qui peut être une raison de vivre est en même temps une excellente raison de mourir. »

“I see that many people die because they deem that life is not worth living and I see others that, paradoxically, get themselves killed for the ideas, the illusions that gives them a reason to live. What can be a reason to live is at the same time an excellent reason to die.”

These words are a direct exert from the philosophical essay The myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus who was a French author and philosopher belonging to the movement of absurdism.

Photograph by Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum

The same can be said of the second paragraph present in the song:

“D’un gérant d’immeuble qui s’était tué on disait qu’il avait perdu sa fille depuis Cinq ans, qu’il avait beaucoup changé et que cette histoire l’avait « miné ».”

“About a building manager that killed himself, people said that he had lost his daughter five years ago, that he had changed a lot and that this event “undermined” him.”

By now, it is clear that this essay by Albert Camus tackles the topic of suicide and the meaning of life as is common in the philosophy of absurdism. In fact, the book starts with the author stating that the only philosophical problem is suicide. With that in mind, we can clearly see a link between the song and all these quotes taken from The myth of Sisyphus.

Book cover of the first edition

Another interesting thing to note, is that the further the song progress, the more the quotes rises in intensity , and the closer it gets to the heart of the problem as shown by the extract present right before the fifth verse that present the conflict between the singer and Achilles intrusive thoughts:

“Des souvenirs d’une patrie perdue, de l’espoir d’une terre promise, ce divorce entre l’homme de sa vie… ”

“Memories of a lost homeland, hope of a promised land, this divorce between a man and his life…”

Finally, what makes these extract so fitting for this specific song is the fact that the band , Gang of youth, like Camus, opted to use an episode of Greek mythology to exhibit their answer to the philosophical problem of whether life, is in fact worth living or not. In Albert campus’s case, it was the story of Sisyphus, stuck in an absurd existence where he is doomed to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll back. As for the gang of youth case, they opted to take an episode from the lliad after the death of Achilles lover Patroclus.

In conclusion, we can clearly see that the French extract present in the song “Achilles, come down”, were specifically thought out to fit the songs and possibly the authors’ philosophical and artistic agenda.

Categories
Art Entertainment Literature

Tik Tok’s aspiring young talents: behind the typewriter.

If you, like a big part of today’s youth, have passed some considerable amount of time on the social media app tik tok, you might have stumbled upon some interesting videos. In fact, for today’s youth, tik tok is quickly becoming an outlet for their creativity. While browsing the famous for your page you might have stumbled upon an interesting video of someone, writing on a typewriter some poetry, stories, or quotes. Curiosity led a lot of people wonder, who is behind the typewriter? I got in contact with Alex Caralyen the 16 years old aspiring writer behind the tik tok account @suchalostsoul and she was willing to answer some of our questions:

@thenameishamlet

I do be having a God complex sometimes. #darkacademia #literature #poetry #poem #writing #fyp #classics #aesthetic #typewriter #dark

♬ –

Q:when did you discover you had a passion for literature?

A:I think I have always used books and literature as a way to escape reality. It helped me find comfort that I was not given in my life. It might sound strange but it felt as if the characters were drying my tears when no one else would. Eventually I started writing my own comfort fiction, giving myself traits and characteristics that I deeply wished I had.while I was doing that, I realized that I was not that horrible at it. That I do have a certain way with words. And I started writing more and more because the positive reaction from my fellow peers gave me a sense of validation and certainly helped my rather broken ego. Then, around four years ago, I realized that this is what brings me joy. This is what I want to do with my life. I want to write, I want to tell stories and from there on, it became my passion and it has been ever since.

Q:what inspires the themes found in your writing?

A:Most of my poems, especially my most popular ones often center around two topics. One of them being wlw(a women loving women), which is inspired by my love for women and many of the topics featured in said poems are based, although loosely, on my relationships. I think back to moments I have experience with my current and past lovers and try to find a way to capture those emotions in a few words. Examples of such emotions are denial, rejection, heartbreak but also happiness, euphoria, a sense of belonging. The other topic is often catholic guilt. I bring this into my poetry because people seem to enjoy it very much and although it might sound shallow, I do quite enjoy seeing my poetry be liked and adored, I think most poets receive some sort of gratification from it. But the topic is also personal as I was raised Christian and grew up in a generally Christian country while being in two groups of people who were very oppressed by the church and still are in some parts of the world. So I carry this so-called catholic guilt or religious trauma. Generally , I just write about topics I experience myself. Anger at the world, uncontrolled rage, painful sorrow, a deep depression, intoxicating epiphany. The poems often are inspired by the emotional state I am in when I pick up the pen.

@thenameishamlet

I do miss the peace she brought to my soul #literature #poetry #poem #bookworm #cottagecorelesbian #cottagecore #darkacademia #fypシ #booktok #quotes

♬ Originalton – 💌💌

Q:what would you say is your favorite literary or artistic movement and why?

A:Romanticism. Both in literature and art. I adore it. The painting, and the art in general, just cause a feeling in me that is hard to describe. I find it very aesthetically pleasing and extremely beautiful. It also has many pretty women portrayed which is certainly positive. I enjoy the literature as well because I often find other literary movements dry in a way or rather tiring. I find myself and my style of writing more in romanticism than in anything else. My style is more inspired by texts and novels from those movements. I simply find it beautiful to read and it helps me improve my style further.

Q:What is one ambition you seek to achieve through your words?

A:I seek validation, in a way, a reminder that I do have a talent when it comes to literature because I cannot give myself enough validation, I do not think good enough of myself for that. I also want to just please people. I don’t need them to deeply analyze it or think of some deep and hidden meaning of it. I like Oscar Wilde’s concept on this topic, to just enjoy the art for the sake of enjoying it. Liking a poem because it sounds pretty and makes you feel warm inside. Hanging up a painting on your wall because you think it looks nice. Not everything has to have meaning, you can just enjoy it. I want my readers to like my poems and get some sense of joy out of them. At the same time, I hope that my reader resonates with my poetry, that the ones about heartbreak and denial and sadness make them feel heard and understood. Let the pain be a pain. Feel it. Of course, I don’t want anyone to feel negative emotions but it can help if you read something and no longer feel alone in the darkness that surrounds you.

Q:And finally, why the typewriter?

A:I have found that the typewriter is a good way to present my poems to people in video format. It interests them and the aesthetic effect of it makes them stay longer or, forgive me for the poor word choice, vibe with it more. It is boring for most people to just read it in a picture when you are expecting a video but the unusually beautiful presentation through the typewriter is what they enjoy, so I decided to stick with it. Also, I do love writing on my typewriter. I think it helps me to motivate myself to write, simply because it makes me feel more like an actual author than just a girl juggling around with words.

If you’re curious about Alex’s writing, it can be found on tik tok and Wattpad. All the necessary information can be found in her tik tok account.

Links: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSXfE4RL/

Categories
Entertainment Tourism

Cirque d’hiver: An affordable activity for the winter .

Situated at 110 Rue Amelot, 75011 Paris, this circus can easily be found. The moment after stepping out of the metro, the buildings interact and elaborate architecture calls well-deserved attention to itself. This circus’s interest doesn’t limit itself to the outside however.  Here are some important things to note:

This circus holds a very old history.  This circus,build in 1852, has been initially made famous by the Bouglione family who has owned the venue since 1934.they have since then offered people countless shows every year ranging from specific themed event to 2 casual entertaining shows a day. Many important french icon have since gone and watched one of such shows like edith piaf and charle aznavour.

La Famille Bouglione | Musée du Cirque

Another of the circus important qualities is that unlike a lot of circuses it’s fully indoor and in an immovable structure strong enough to protect from the harshness of the elements. Hence the name “cirque d’hiver” translates to winter circus.

Louer le Cirque d'Hiver | Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione

Finally, the prices of their show costs from as low as 10 euros. This makes it very accessible for a student, families or anyone on a specifically tight budget.

Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione : plus de 160 ans de tradition et de féerie - Profession Spectacle le Mag'

these qualities are what makes the “cirque d’hiver bouglione” a great activity for those cold winter nights .

P.S.: for more information on the history of the cirus, a museum is also available that exhibit interesting relics of the venues past.

Important links: https://www.cirquedhiver.com/

Categories
Movies

“Four” movies to watch for International women’s day.

Image result for womens day

As most of you know, today is international women’s day. As such, I have compiled a list of movies that I think would be befitting of the occasion. These movies really inspired me and probably a lot of other people as young girls. Still do. With that in mind, I hope these movies inspire you or reawaken some of what you felt the first time you watch them.

1-“Harry Potter”:

Image result for harry potter

What put this series of movies on the list is, to put it simply, it’s amazing female characters. From Luna to Hermione, all of them were strong, brave, unique and not afraid to say what they think or fight for what they believe in. As a young girl, I really looked up to Hermione. She showed me that girls can be whoever they want to be.

2-“Legally blond“:

Image result for legally blonde

Okay to put it shortly, this one taughout methat being feminine isn’t always equal to being dumb. It showed me that a woman can be smart, astute and competitive all while rocking heels and a pink mini dress.

3-“The hunger game”:

Image result for hunger games

This movie showed me that woman can be warriors and leaders. It showed me that we have the power to braise the obstacles ahead of us and change the world no matter how hard it seems or how many sacrifices it takes.

4-“brave”:

Image result for brave movie

Come on, I couldn’t abstain from including an animation in this list. “Brave” is one of my personal favorite Disney movies. It inspired me to be who I want to be and not be limited by what society thinks I should be.

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